Automatic distributor of long objects such as bars or similar items

ABSTRACT

A distributor device for substantially long objects such as bars of steel or of metal has a first forwarding device consisting of a plurality of motor-driven rack plates performing a step-by-step advancing motion for first moving one end of one of the long objects forward, a second forwarding device consisting of several groups, each one of which has a plurality of motor-driven rack plates performing a step-by-step advancing motion similar to that of the rack bars of the first device, for moving the long objects forward, and a rotating arm for removing the long objects, which are fed into the distributor device, one by one.

United States Patent [191 Elineau *Jan. 23,1973

[75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Etablissements R. Senard & Fils, Maromme, France Hubert Elineau, Versailles, France Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to Dec. 23, 1987, has been disclaimed.

[22] Filed: Oct. 16, 1967 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Nienstedt l 98/ l 06 France "667159 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS l/l955 Germany ..l98/2l9 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter AttorneySparrow and Sparrow [57] ABSTRACT A distributor device for substantially long objects such as bars of steel or of metal has a first forwarding device consisting of a plurality of motor-driven rack plates performing a step-by-step advancing motion for first moving one end of one of the long objects forward, a second forwarding device consisting of several groups, each one of which has a plurality of motordriven rack plates performing a step-by-step advancing motion similar to that of the rack bars of the first device, for moving the long objects forward, and a rotating arm for removing the long objects, which are fed into the distributor device, one by one.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 4/1936 Germany ..l98/2l9 PATENTEDJAHZB I975 3.712.458

SHEET 1 or 2 'F/GJ PATENTEDJAN23 I975 3.712.458

SHEH 2 [IF 2 AUTOMATIC DISTRIBUTOR OF LONG OBJECTS SUCH AS BARS OR SIMILAR ITEMS The invention is concerned with an automatic distributor of long objects, such as bars or similar items.

Such a distributor can, in particular, be used in the metal industry to distribute one by one, after possible disentangling and counting, bars or similar products into a machine used for binding these bars or products into bundles.

Various distributors of this type are already known, but they present the drawbacks of being of a comparatively complicated design, and consequently expensive, of endangering the users or their own mechanism, or the mechanism of adjoining machines, to the impact of bars bent by the distributor and unbending suddenly when they are released, of delivering bundles of bars that are helical and consequently unsuitable to the making of tied bundles, and finally not to allow an accurate counting of the bars.

The present invention is intended to remedy these drawbacks by providing a distributor of the kind that suits, better than the previously known distributors, the requirements of practical working.

The invention consists essentially in constituting the automatic distributor of long objects, by means of a first device with parallel rack-bars comprising at least one fixed rack-bar and one mobile rack-bar into the teeth of which one of the ends of the objects brought to the distributor, by a conveyor, is inserted first and then advances little by little, and of a second device comprising groups of fixed and mobile rack-bars, parallel to one another, into the teeth of which the remainder of the aforesaid objects is inserted and then advances little by little every end of an object coming out of the first device being carried away by a rotating arm which, working together with the second device, takes off, one by one, the objects that have been insertedinto the distributor.

The invention also consists in certain other arrangements mentioned hereinafter and used preferentially, together with the main aforementioned arrangement.

Asa mere example andto facilate the understanding of the invention, a description is given below of a particular method of realization of the invention, drawn in a diagrammatic and not limitative way, in the attached draught, on which:

FIG. 1 shows, in plan view, an automatic distributor of long objects, according to the invention: and

FIGS. 2 and 3 are, respectively, views in partial section along planes A-A and 8-8 of FIG. 1.

If it is intended to realize, according to the invention, an automatic distributor of long objects and, more especially, according to the one of its methods of application together with the ones of the methods of realization of its various parts, to which it seems that preference must be given, it is proceeded in the following or a similar manner.

The long objects, mentioned as examples in the following description, are metallic bars 1, brought along, in a continuous or discontinuous bed, to the distributor, by a chain conveyor 2. The bars 1 can overlap on conveyor 2 and be brought on in a slightly I oblique direction in comparison with the forward motion of the conveyor.

ln a direction 3 parallel to the forward motion of conveyor 2, the framework is installed of a first device comprising three inclined and parallel rack-bars 4, 5, 6.

Rack-bars 4 and 5 are mobile and driven respectively by rotating eccentric discs parallel one pair to another, 7, 8 and 9, 10. Eccentrics 9, 10 are offset by 180 from eccentrics 7, 8. Rack-bar 6 is fixed.

Eccentrics 7, 8 and 9, 10, are driven by a motor 11 and by a suitable transmission device, by means of a gear-train 12.

Into the teeth of rack-bars 4, 5, 6, the ends 13 of bars 1 are first introduced. The motion of mobile rack-bars 4, 5, causes these ends to advance step by step and come up along fixed rack-bar 6, being still held by the teeth of this rack-bar. The speed of progression caused by mobile rack-bars 4, 5, in superior to the speed of advancing of conveyor 2.

The remainder of the bar, an end of which is inserted into the teeth of rack-bars 4, 5, 6, goes on progressing, partially under the action of these rack-bars, and partially because of the forward motion of conveyor 2.

The greater part of the bar then reaches a second device comprising a number of groups of identical parallel rack-bars 14, 15, 16, groups that are apart from one another and distributed along the remaining length of the bars. Every group comprises three curvilinear rack-bars: two mobile rack-bars 17, 18, driven respectively by parallel rotating eccentrics 19, 20 and 21, 22 and one fixed rack-bar 23. Eccentrics 21, 22, are offset by 180 in comparison with eccentrics 19,20. The whole of the mobile rack-bars of the groups are driven by a motor 24 that gives motion, by means of a suitable transmission device, to parallel shafts 25, 26, on which theeccentrics of the rack-bars are held and that are connected by gears 27.

Rack-bars 17, 18 and 23 have their end, directed towards conveyor 2, in the shape of an inclined plane 28. The inclined planes of the mobile rack-bars act as a vibrating table for the entangled bars that are brought on them by conveyor 2. The vibration so created facilitates the disentangling of bars which,,drawn by their end that is inserted into the teeth of rack-bars 4, 5, 6, come into the teeth of rack-bars 17, 18 and 23.

The ends 13 of bars that reach the upper part of rack-bars 4, 5, 6, are carried away by the rotating arm 28, driven or not-by motor 11. This arm inserts end 13 under guide 29, which can be equipped with a counting device 30. The bars that come out of guide 29 and rack-bars 17, 18 and 23, slide and regrouptogether on the oscillating inclined planes 31 and are finally brought together into a collection bed 32. After transference of a predetermined number orfweight of bars, conveyor 2 is stopped, together with the first rack-bar device, that is driven by motor 1 1, whilst motor 24 goes on-driving the groups of rack-bars such as 14, 15, 16.

As a variant, the groups of rack-bars such as 4, 5 or 17, 18 comprising two rack-bars driven by eccentrics that are offset by 180, could have more than two rackbars, for instance three rack-bars with eccentrics, offset by ltis implicit that the invention is not limited to the mentioned methods of application and realization, it also covers all its variants.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic distributor of elongated objects such as metal bars, which are brought by a substantially horizontal input conveyor, said distributor comprising in combination:

adisentangling system for said objects, which system 5 said input conveyor, each group comprising at comprises a reciprocating device including at least least One fix r k and n movable rack one fixed rack and one movable rack, said racks disposed in parallel substantially vertical planes disposed in parallel substantially vertical planes and inclined at an angle to the horizontal, and said and inclined at an angle to the horizontal with their fixed and movable racks being integral with one lower ends towards the output of an input confixed and one movable flat member respectively of -veyor, said reciprocating device disposed in the vicinity of and laterally to the output of said input conveyor so as to be engaged by only one end of the bars brought by said input conveyor, and a pluconveyor, which-transport system comprises a pluralityiof groups of racks, said groups disposed parallel to one another and spaced apart in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of said vibrating device,

and means to actuate said movable racks and flat members respectively.

2. A distributor according to claim 1 wherein said means to actuate said movable rack in the reciprocating device comprises rotating eccentrics driven by a rotary motor whose rotating speed is so chosen that the end of the object engaging said rack advances at a speed higher than the speed of advance of said input conveyor.

3. A distributor according to claim 1 and further comprising a rotating arm disposed downstream of said reciprocating device and substantially at the same level as said transport system, the end of said rotating arm engaging the end of the elongated objects at their outand a transport system for Said objects, disposed put of said reciprocating device while the rest of said downstream of said disentangling system with oblect? engaged by 531d transport systemrespect to the direction of advance of said input rality of vibrating devices spaced apart in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of said input conveyor and disposed substantially at the same distance from said input conveyor as said reciprocating device, each said vibrating device comprising at least one fixed flat member and one movable flat member disposed in parallel substantially vertical planes and inclined at an angle to the horizontal with their lower ends towards said input conveyor and arranged to be engaged by the bars whose one end engages said reciprocating device,

Poem UNITED STATES PATENT QFFECE CERTIFECATL @F CQRREQTEQN Patent No. 3712453 Dated January 23 1973 Invehtofls) H rt ELINEAU It is certified that error appears in the aboveidentified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On Page 1 of the specification, under "Foreign Application Priority Data", change "667159" to "7159",

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of-July 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Rene Tegtmeyer Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents 

1. An automatic distributor of elongated objects such as metal bars, which are brought by a substantially horizontal input conveyor, said distributor comprising in combination: a disentangling system for said objects, which system comprises a reciprocating device including at least one fixed rack and one movable rack, said racks disposed in parallel substantially vertical plAnes and inclined at an angle to the horizontal with their lower ends towards the output of an input conveyor, said reciprocating device disposed in the vicinity of and laterally to the output of said input conveyor so as to be engaged by only one end of the bars brought by said input conveyor, and a plurality of vibrating devices spaced apart in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of said input conveyor and disposed substantially at the same distance from said input conveyor as said reciprocating device, each said vibrating device comprising at least one fixed flat member and one movable flat member disposed in parallel substantially vertical planes and inclined at an angle to the horizontal with their lower ends towards said input conveyor and arranged to be engaged by the bars whose one end engages said reciprocating device, and a transport system for said objects, disposed downstream of said disentangling system with respect to the direction of advance of said input conveyor, which transport system comprises a plurality of groups of racks, said groups disposed parallel to one another and spaced apart in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of said input conveyor, each group comprising at least one fixed rack and one movable rack disposed in parallel substantially vertical planes and inclined at an angle to the horizontal, and said fixed and movable racks being integral with one fixed and one movable flat member respectively of said vibrating device, and means to actuate said movable racks and flat members respectively.
 2. A distributor according to claim 1 wherein said means to actuate said movable rack in the reciprocating device comprises rotating eccentrics driven by a rotary motor whose rotating speed is so chosen that the end of the object engaging said rack advances at a speed higher than the speed of advance of said input conveyor.
 3. A distributor according to claim 1 and further comprising a rotating arm disposed downstream of said reciprocating device and substantially at the same level as said transport system, the end of said rotating arm engaging the end of the elongated objects at their output of said reciprocating device while the rest of said objects is engaged by said transport system. 